Page 6 of Blood Money

Alex’s belly fluttered with excitement, and she swiveled her chair to find Gray standing there, looking devastatingly handsome. As always. She took a deep breath, inhaling his aftershave. She loved the way he smelled. Truthfully, she loved everything about Detective Gray Yates.

Short, thick dark brown hair set off a hard, chiseled bone structure. Beautiful, intense silver-gray eyes glittered down at her. At nearly six foot three, she guessed, he towered over her even when she wore heels. In a charcoal gray suit, white dress shirt, and blue tie, he could have modeled for GQ.

He sat on the corner of her desk and smiled, though there was a hint of tension to his mouth. “Still on for tonight?”

“Of course.” Alex worried that his smile was a cover-up for the emotional pain he carried over the FBI agent’s death. She knew it weighed heavily on him. “But I wasn’t sure you still wanted to go after what happened yesterday.”

When she’d gotten news of the explosion, her mouth had gone dry and her chest had tightened with panic. Then word came down that Gray and Dom were all right and that Sgt. Miller would recover. She worried constantly about the danger the men in the squad faced on a daily basis, but where Gray was concerned…

…that feeling was intensified by a factor of a thousand.

He caressed her cheek with his big hand, and everywhere he touched, her skin tingled. “Canceling our date never crossed my mind. Especially, after what happened yesterday. Life’s too short to put off the good stuff.”

Alex’s heart beat faster. “Does that put me in the category of ‘good stuff’?”

“You”—Gray lowered his voice, his eyes flaring with heat—“are definitely in the category of ‘good stuff.’ And then some.”

She put a hand to her chest and batted her eyelashes. “You’re just saying that to get me to go out with you. Oh wait, I already said yes, didn’t I?”

“That you did.” Gray nodded. “Good thing, because I wouldn’t have taken no for an answer.”

“I’m guessing that no woman has ever turned you down.” Not with that face and body.

Gray massaged his chin and stared up at the ceiling, doing an admirable job of feigning deep thought. “Well, there was this one woman in Minnesota who—” He shook his head. “No, my mistake. She said yes in the end.”

Alex playfully punched his bicep, which was thick with muscle and rock solid.

“Ouch.” He rubbed his arm.

“Puh-lease.” She rolled her eyes. “You barely felt that, and you know it. I, however, will probably have to ice my hand tonight.” She flexed her fingers in mock pain.

“No need.” Gray reached for her hand and began massaging it with long, strong fingers, sending tremors of need and suppressed longing straight to those private places she’d nearly forgotten about. “Nice dress, by the way.” He dipped his gaze to take in the snug purple sheath and short matching sweater she’d worn for their date.

Knowing where Gray’s gaze was inevitably focusing, Alex’s nipples hardened beneath her sweater.

He grinned. “Not enough women wear dresses anymore.”

She blinked to clear the visions flitting through her mind, mainly the ones involving Gray’s fingers massaging the rest of her. Naked, of course. “And not enough men hold doors open anymore,” she said when she’d regained her wits.

Gray put on a pretend pout that was completely adorable on a face so masculine. “I hold doors open. I even pull out chairs at restaurants.” He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.”

“No way.” She shook her head and tried to look serious. “This, I have to see.”

“I look forward to showing you.” Gray squeezed her hand before releasing it.

“I really would understand if you wanted to postpone.” She would, but she’d die if she had to wait another day. Ten months of foreplay is more than I can handle.

But her interest in him was more than just sex and his witty repartee. All kidding aside, she was drawn to the man. Beneath that steely, bad-ass cop facade, he was a good, caring person, and those were labels she reserved for very few people.

Still sitting on the edge of her desk, he leaned in. His face was so close to hers that for one infinitesimal second she thought he was about to kiss her right there in the middle of the squad room. She held her breath, not really knowing whether she wanted him to kiss her in front of their colleagues or not.

“It could be my last day on earth and I wouldn’t cancel our date.” As he stood, a smile tugged at his lips.

The intensity of his words both excited and frightened her. The last time she’d fallen for a guy it had ended disastrously. But something about Gray Yates told her this would be different, that this man could be something wonderful.

“What about your head?” A small section of dark hair on the back of his head was shaved and a white bandage concealed what she knew were sutures from getting hit with shrapnel in the explosion. “Does it hurt much?”

“I’m fine.” He touched the back of his head. “Be ready at five sharp.” He winked then disappeared into Lt. Frye’s office.